A New Beginning
by bluheat
Summary: One day, Shiraishi finds two people who change his perspective of tennis.


**This is a quick one-shot of Shiriaishi's last first day of middle school. Enjoy!**

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><p>Shiraishi Kuranoske drummed his fingers against the wooden desk, tapping away as he hummed to himself. He did not bother to pay attention to the teacher as his other bandaged hand was tucked under his chin, the rough linen rubbing against the side of his face as a constant reminder of his bindings since freshmen year.<p>

To his right, Oshitari Kenya sighs, also bored with the droning of the English teacher.

With a _brrring_, they are snapped out of their reverie as students run out the door, eager to escape from the clutches of the English teacher's monotone voice. The first day of school had never felt so long, but then again, aren't all first days long?

It was no secret that Shiraishi Kuranoske disliked attention, especially from girls. Several girls called out to him in the hallway that he traipsed through with Oshitari Kenya on his side. He reluctantly waved back as they fluttered their eyelashes towards their pair, posing and giggling. Oshitari Kenya was the flirty one out of the two, with an easy smile stretched across his face, fingers occasionally brushing back strands of sandy-brown hair.

Girls flitted to the pair like moths drawn to a flame, eventually leaving the easy-going Shiraishi for the flirtier Oshitari. Shiraishi never minded, it did both of them a favor. It was what they called in biology, a 'mutualistic relationship.'

Shiraishi and Oshitari grabbed their rackets from their school's athletic lockers.

"Ready for another batch of recruits, captain?" Oshitari Kenya grinned.

Shiraishi smiled back. He was always ready; every single person on the tennis team was valuable.

Upon walking out of the locker room, an extremely fast blur whipped past the two and around the corner. The two looked at each other, brows furrowed.

_What was that?_

Acting as if nothing had happened, they continued on towards the tennis courts, unperturbed until the blur whipped past them again. The red hair paused for a minute before whipping back towards them.

With a yell, the blur asked something about the tennis courts. Oshitari is too shocked to say anything and Shiraishi manages to get out, "That way," while pointing.

Next moment, the redhead is gone, before Shiraishi completes his sentence, "-we're going there. We'll take you there if you want."

The two looked at each other, "New recruits," the chorused, smiling slightly.

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><p>The redhead blur is waiting for the two on the tennis courts as they arrive. He isn't patient, rocking back and forth on his toes before bursting out, "I want to play the strongest one here!"<p>

A second-year, bemused, responds, "I'm not sure that you do."

The blur shakes his head, adamant, "No, really! I want to play the captain!"

"Do you now?" Shiraishi smiles at the request, remembering his first year when he too had been eager. As captain, that certain eagerness died down as the team members looked up to him, depending on him to carry them through the courts and to victory.

"All right then, let us play," Shiraishi agrees, picking up his tennis racket and swinging it compulsively.

The blur bounces up and down on his feet cheering and yelling, "My name is Tooyama Kintarou!" He then goes on to list his favorite foods and how he would be the strongest tennis player in Japan.

"Is that so?" Shiraishi's mouth quirks up at the childish antics, not annoyed unlike half the other people on the tennis team.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" Oshitari furrows his brow as Chitose watches with a slight smile spread across his face.

Shiraishi shrugs, "What is the harm?"

He steps on to the court, flexing his arm and tosses the ball into the air.

With a graceful arc, the ball lands into the opposite side of the court. The hyperactive boy yells again, before jumping up into the air and hitting at an unusual angle.

But Shiraishi knows that it would have taken a lot less energy if the boy had stepped back two steps and hit the ball with the same amount of force. He lifts his racket and the ball impacts and flies off with the refined swing.

Shiraishi grips his tennis racket, surprised at the amount of power behind the ball. Where was it coming from?

The boy smacks the ball down, wild hair waving as he grins almost childishly, proud of himself.

Shiraishi's yellow and green tennis jersey billowed with the slight breeze, hair rustling gently as Shiraishi lobs the ball up and over the boy's head. It was too high for the boy to reach.

The wind picks up as the boy sprints and jumps into the air, spinning. Shiraishi covers his eyes with the spinning violent gusts, hearing the yells of his teammates. Shiraishi could hear a shriek, and then suddenly, everything was still.

The ball gently bounced before rolling on Shiraishi's side of the court.

The regulars were silent, trying to process that Shiraishi had lost the first point of a quick match.

"Not bad, Kin-chan," Shiraishi called, a new light behind his eyes as he observed the freshman in a completely different angle.

And at that point, Shiraishi knew that Kin-chan was what he was looking for: a ray of sunshine, a diamond in the rough. Something to bring back the joys of tennis, someone who was different and had a style that was the complete opposite of his.

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><p>A few days later, Shiraishi had run past the school gates, doing his usual flop where he had hit his face against the arch after jumping. A whiff of shampoo drifted under his nose as a girl slightly shorter than he was passed in front of him, not looking at him, giggling or batting her eyelashes. She was by the principal's side as he explained the school.<p>

"Ah, Shiraishi, just the person I was looking for!" he exclaims before pulling Shiraishi in front of the girl. "He's the captain of the boy's tennis team," the principal clarifies as she nods at Shiraishi.

"Pleasure."

The girl's ebony hair with a bright, red streak shines in the sunlight and smells like hibiscus shampoo.

"Shiraishi, do show our new student, Mikazuki Hisoka around."

Shiraishi's mouth quirks upward into his normal faked smile, "Of course."

Mikazuki follows Shiraishi around the school as he points out the tennis courts, the tradition of the gate, and academics of the school. She doesn't say a single word until Shiraishi concludes the tour and points her towards the main office.

"Thank you," her melodious voice drifts along with the smell of her hibiscus shampoo as she tucks her ebony curtain of hair behind her ear and bows before turning and walking to the main office. Her eyes disappeared with a flash of green and Shiraishi realized not once did she try to hit on him or flirt.

And he rather liked the smell of hibiscus shampoo.

Maybe this year would be different.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you enjoyed the one-shot!<strong>

**If you like the story, please favorite or write a review! I had some ideas for this story but I'm not sure if people like it, so unless if I get a little bit of feedback, I can't continue it! Thank you for reading!**


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